Camping Lime Bay State Reserve Campground Tasmania Australia Lime Bay Campsites Tasman Peninsula

If you’re on the lookout for a campground on the Tasmanian coast with grassy plots shaded by eucalyptus trees, don’t overlook Lime Bay State Reserve. This off-the-beaten-path campground is located on a remote thumb of the Tasman Peninsula, set in a picturesque bay with light sand beaches framing the campground on both sides.

Lime Bay State Reserve Campground
Lime Bay State Reserve Campground

Lime Bay State Reserve protects a point at the northwest corner of the Tasman Peninsula in southeast Tasmania. Lime Bay has a relatively primitive campground with non-powered sites only. The sites are not numbered, but you’ll find numerous places to set up camp along a loop at the end of Coal Mines Road.

The campground is spread along a shelf just above the water with views looking northeast over Norfolk Bay. The campground is at the center of a cove, with crescent-shaped beaches on both sides. The beaches are perfect for leisurely strolls and the tapered sand extends a long way out into the bay, making this a nice place to swim and play in calm, sheltered waters. Black swans enjoy floating around the bay as well.

Lime Bay State Reserve Campground
A bay view from the campground
Lime Bay State Reserve Campground
A beach next to the campground

All sites are first-come first-served and reservations are not accepted. Fire rings are spread around the campground and ground fires are allowed, unless a total fire ban is in place (which can go into effect at short notice). The park service recommends cooking meals on fuel stoves. If you plan to have a fire, bring your own wood. Chainsaws and wood gathering are prohibited. Pets and firearms are also not welcome. Generators are allowed until 10 p.m. No drinking water is available at the campground, so bring your own. A four-stall toilet block is set back from the campground where the toilets flush with a pump.

The prices to camp at Lime Bay State Reserve are as follows:

  • $13 per night for one or two people
  • $5 per night an extra adult
  • $2.50 per night for an extra child age 5 – 17 (younger children are free)
  • $16 per night for a family of two adults and three children

Wallabies can be seen in and around the campground early in the morning and in the evening.

On weekends, you may overhear other camping groups playing music at night. The area is peaceful otherwise, and the beaches are perfect for moonlight strolls. During the day, several places to hike are nearby, including Coal Mines Historic Site, which you must pass to reach the campground. The combination of shade, beaches, and campfires makes Lime Bay State Reserve a really desirable place to camp.

Directions to the campground: Take Tasman Highway (A3), 25 kilometers east of Hobart to the town of Sorell. You will come to an intersection in the center of town where A3 makes a 90-degree turn. Take the road leaving A3 at this intersection, which is Coles Street/Arthur Highway (A9). This will be a right turn if you are coming from Hobart. Drive 60 kilometers on A9 to the Tasman Peninsula and turn right onto Nubeena Road (B37), which is just past the Tasmanian Devil Conservation Park and 9.5 kilometers past Eaglehawk Neck. Drive 9 kilometers on B37 and turn right on Saltwater River Road (C341), following signs for Saltwater River and Coal Mines Historic Site. Go 9.4 kilometers and turn right on Coal Mines Road, following a sign for Lime Bay State Reserve. The road becomes unpaved as you drive 6.5 kilometers to the campground at the end of the road.

Campground address: Coal Mines Road, Sloping Main, TAS 7186, Australia
Campground coordinates: -42.956901, 147.704245 (42° 57′ 24.84″S 147° 42′ 15.28″E)

Use the map below to view the campground and get directions:

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Photos

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These photos were taken in April of 2014. Click to enlarge.
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3 Comments on Lime Bay State Reserve Campground

  1. Michelle Ocker wrote:

    Hello, my friend and me want to visit Tasmania from 1st – 6th. I just want to make sure that we don’t have to book this camping ground. I know that it is not sure if we get a place. So we can come, pay the fee for the national park and camp there for free?
    Kind regard Michelle Ocker

  2. Meg Cripps wrote:

    hello, My friends and i want to camp at lime bay from the 8th-10th may, what we want to know is
    Are we allowed to have a fire?
    Is there any power spots ?
    Do we need a camping pass ?